Raisin Bar Cookies

 I recently received a few of my great-grandmother's recipes from my grandmother to try out. I knew I had to try her raisin bar cookie recipe first, because I haven't had them in years. I'm happy to say, this recipe turned out perfectly and they are just as delicious as they were when I was a kid. 

Raisin Bar Cookies

makes 24

2 cups water

1 cup raisins

1 stick margarine

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour (I used my whole-wheat flour)

Boil the water and raisins until one cup of the liquid remains (this took about 10-15 minutes). Add the stick of margarine, then remove from heat. Once it cools to room temperature, transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar and mix until well combined. Then add half the flour, mix until well combined, and repeat with the other half of the flour. 

Grease a 9x12 cookie sheet, then spread the dough evenly in it. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the cookie sheet to a cooling rack, allow to cool for a few minutes, then turn the cookie out of the sheet and allow to finish cooling. Otherwise, the cookies will sweat and get sticky. Once cool, cut the cookie into 24 equal sized bars. 

Pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy. These bars are just sweet enough to constitute a cookie, but the raisins and cinnamon give them a warm earthy flavor that almost makes them savory as well (which means it's totally fine to eat them for breakfast). Thanks, Grandma.

Pineapple Pork Chops

Guys, I'm really proud of this recipe. This is the very first recipe I came up with off the top of my head using just whatever I had around the house. Since its humble beginnings, it has become a family favorite. By that I mean it is my husband's favorite meal, and my sister always requests it whenever she visits. Today, I share it with you. 

Pineapple Pork Chops

makes 3-4

3-4 pork loin chops

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 Tbs olive oil

1 small can pineapple slices (4 slices)

3 Tbs brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat up a pan with the olive oil. Coat the pork chops in the flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, and transfer to the pan. Fry the chops for about 1 minute on each side, then transfer to a baking dish (I usually line mine with aluminum foil to minimize cleanup). Place one pineapple slice on top of each chop. Mix together the juice from the can of pineapples with the brown sugar to create a glaze, then pour half of the mixture over the chops. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then pour the remaining mixture over the chops. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the pork chops are no longer pink in the middle.

These are best served with this Panera mac and cheese copycat recipe and a nice glass of white wine. Enjoy!

My 3 Favorite Smoothie Recipes

We recently bought a smoothie maker (this one, if you're curious) after reading about the health benefits of smoothies and wanting to add variety to the fruits and veggies we eat and how we eat them. Today I will share with you my 3 favorite smoothie recipes!

A Very Berry Smoothie

a handful each of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and spinach

4-5 strawberries, tops removed

1 banana

1/2 cup fruit juice (I used a berry blend)

ice cubes

This smoothie is a good way to eat fruits, and to sneak in veggies. I hardly notice the spinach at all. 

Breakfast in a Smoothie

1 banana

4-5 strawberries (or other berry of your choosing)

1 cup oatmeal 

1 Tbs honey

1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon

ice cubes

I make this smoothie for breakfast a few days a week. The oatmeal makes it more filling and the honey sweetens it up nicely.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1 banana (105 cal)

2 Tbs peanut butter (210 cal)

2 Tbs chocolate syrup (100 cal)

1/2 cup milk (70 cal)

ice cubes

I make this one as an afternoon snack every once in awhile. At 485 calories, it's not the most low-calorie snack option (for example, a 2 pack of Twinkies is was 300 calories), but it tastes a lot fresher than most unhealthy snacks, it's filling, and it gives me an energy boost instead of a sugar crash.

I'm still experimenting, but these three are my go-to's right now. Hopefully I'll have more for you in the future!

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pizza

This pizza is basically this recipe in pizza form. I had the extra bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, and shrimp leftover from it, so it just made sense to throw it all on top of a pizza, right? This was also my first time using the whole wheat flour in the pizza dough, and it was actually pretty darn tasty!

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pizza

pizza dough (my recipe here, except this time I subbed whole wheat flour for regular)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1 cup cocktail shrimp
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450°. Get your pizza dough ready (be it homemade or store bought).

Heat up a skillet with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the bell pepper and garlic until it becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes.

 Once the dough is spread onto the pizza pan, sprinkle the Cajun seasoning on top of the dough and rub it in a little bit. Spread the marinara sauce. Then add the pepper, garlic, and shrimp.

 Bake for 10 minutes, then top it all off with cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy! This was one of our favorite pizzas to date.  Nom nom nom.

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

adapted from The Boozy Baker by Lucy Baker

 Yesterday was the two year anniversary of the day my husband and I made a verbal agreement to only kiss each other (see also: going steady). Yes, we are sappy and sentimental and celebrate all the month-iversaries and anniversaries. Anyway, I decided to surprise him with a little sushi (takeout) and some champagne, in the form of cupcakes (the champagne, not the sushi).

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

makes approx. 16

Ingredients:

• For the cake:
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 Tbs (1 stick plus 2 tbs) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup pink champagne (I used Barefoot Pink Moscato Champagne)
• 5 large egg whites
• red food coloring
• For the buttercream frosting:
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbs milk
• 3 Tbs champagne
• red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake paper baking cups. 

To make the cake,  whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Alternately add the flour mixture and the champagne to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and beating well after each addition. At this point, if you want the actual cupcakes to be pink, you can add about 3 drops of red food coloring to the batter until it turns a light pink color.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Whisk a generous spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the champagne batter to lighten it. Then carefully fold the remaining egg whites into the batter with a spatula. 

Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into each cup and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Drink a glass of that champagne while you wait for the cupcakes to bake. This step is not required, but highly recommended. 

Let the cupcakes cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then remove them and allow to cool completely on a baking rack before frosting.

To make the  buttercream frosting, combine the butter and 2 cups of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk and champagne. With the mixer running, gradually add 1 to 2 more cups of powdered sugar until the buttercream is thick and creamy. Then add a few drops of red food coloring to tint the frosting pink, as well, if desired. 

Mine are very, very barely pink

These are a big hit with the grown-ups in this house, and I could see these being cute for a bridal shower or bachelorette party as well.  Or just whenever, because I don't know about you, but I don't particularly need a special occasion for champagne. Or cupcakes.

 

Chocolate Coffee Cranberry Brownies

 I'm a dessert gal at heart. I've been baking for much longer than I've been cooking, and I've always had a sweet tooth, so desserts hold a special place in my heart. And my husband's heart. I'm so lucky to have married someone who is willing to taste-test for me. (He would say the same about marrying someone who lets him taste-test for her.) 

Anyway, I really wanted brownies. And not just any brownies-- fancy brownies. So after perusing my pantry for extra ingredients, this is what I came up with. (And after seeing how much sugar I used, I worked out while they baked. That makes it a wash, right?)

Chocolate Coffee Cranberry Brownies, makes 9

 Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1-2 tbsp instant coffee (depending how strong you want your coffee flavor to be; I used 2)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a small microwavable bowl, melt butter in microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Pour into mixing bowl. Add sugar, flour, cocoa, coffee and eggs. Whisk until well combined. Fold in cranberries.
2. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper (I do this because it makes it so much easier to get out of the pan later). Spray pan and paper with non-stick spray. Pour batter into dish, spreading evenly. Bake for 22-25 minutes. I like my brownies a little under-done and fudgy, but you can add about 3-5 minutes for more well done, if desired.
3. Cool completely (this is the hardest part). Top with powdered sugar or your favorite frosting recipe (a chocolate coffee frosting on top of this would be divine). ENJOY! 

"White" Pizza (Chicken with Alfredo Sauce) Recipe

I think I first had a "white" pizza at Old Chicago in Omaha. I had a boss who was really weird about marinara/tomato sauce (I think it gave him acid reflux) so he would always order his own pizza with white sauce on it. Anyway, I tried it, it was delicious. 

Recently I've been trying to think of ways to mix up our Pizza Fridays, so last week I tried one with bbq sauce, and this week I tried one with alfredo sauce. And let me tell you, they will both be in heavy rotation with the regular tomato sauce, just to mix things up. 

Pizza Dough (recipe straight out of the Kitchenaid mixer recipe book [with my notes in brackets])

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°) [I went ahead and bought a cheap candy thermometer from Target, and it's made all the difference]
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [I typically find that my dough is good after the initial 2 1/2 cups]
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal [I tried this step for the first time on this pizza, but to be honest I prefer it without it, so from now on I will continue to omit this part]

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. [I add a dash of sugar to the water and yeast at this point to help it activate, then let it set for 10 minutes.] Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continue mixing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. [Again, I typically find that my dough reaches the desired consistency without adding any more flour, except the occasional 1/4 cup.] Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. [If you do not own a mixer with a dough hook, you'll have to do the kneading by hand. Or just buy pre-made pizza dough, I don't judge.]

this is about what it should look like after kneading

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. 

before rising...

after rising! magic!

 Brush a 14-inch pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. [Again, I will be omitting this step, because the next step seems to mess it up.] Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings. Add toppings as desired. Bake at 450° for 15 to 20 minutes. [I always bake everything but the cheese for about 10, then do the cheese for the last 5-10 because the husband doesn't like "burned" cheese, and I love him so you got it baby.]

Toppings 

• 1 chicken breast
• 1/2 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce 
• handful of spinach (optional, but I find it's a great way to sneak extra veggies in because you can't taste it very much)
• 1/2 bag shredded Italian mix cheese

I baked the chicken breast on 375° for about 25 minutes, until it was no longer pink in the middle. While that was going I spread out the dough, then spread the alfredo sauce on it. When the chicken was done, I cut it into bite-sized pieces then sprinkled it on top of the sauce. Then I added the spinach, and baked it for about 10 minutes. 

everything but the cheese

 At the 10 minute mark, I removed it from the oven, added just a touch more alfredo sauce, and sprinkled the cheese on top. We put the cheese on top of the toppings, but feel free to use whatever orientation of sauce to toppings to cheese your little heart desires. Then I baked the (now cheesed) pizza for another 5-10, until the crust was golden brown and the cheese was melted (but not browned). 

 

 Definitely a very tasty alternative to tomato sauce.

What's your favorite kind of pizza sauce? 

Guacamole Recipe

Let me start by saying that I am was not a guac girl.

I've never really liked it. But my husband is obsessed, so I agreed to attempt to make some. Then I found this recipe, made some tweaks to make it more to my personal taste, and now I am a guac convert.

Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients:
- 2 medium avocados, ripe, peeled and pitted
- 1 15-oz. can young peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 or 2 chopped jalapenos
- 1/2 of red onion, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 chopped tomatoes (I use Roma)
- 1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (or however much you want, really)
- lime juice from 1/2 a lime
- 3 or 4 (or 5) cloves chopped garlic
- 1 tsp cumin (or more)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (or more)
- salt and pepper to taste

gather your ingredients

Directions:
Put the peas in a medium-sized bowl and mash them with a fork until almost smooth. Add in the avocados and mash that into the peas until smooth.

smooshing the peas (please don't be off-put by this step)

 At this point I rough chop all the veggies* and throw them in my food processor to chop more finely. You could also use a blender, or just chop it all by hand. I tend to like my guacamole less chunky, but if chunky is your thing, just chop it all up until you're satisfied. Don't take it too seriously, it's just guacamole.

before

after

 Add the veggies to the pea/avocado mixture and stir. Add the Greek yogurt until it reaches the texture/creaminess you prefer. Add cumin, salt and pepper. Do a taste test and add more of whatever floats your boat.

guacamole! (fyi this is only half the amount it makes)

 You can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day. This makes somewhere around 4 cups.

Note: I've made this both with and without the peas (substituting another avocado for them). I prefer it with them, probably because I'm not such a huge fan of avocado.

So, now I can make guacamole that both my husband (the guacamole king) and myself (the guacamole skeptic) enjoy. Everyone's happy. Our marriage is safe. (Not that it was really in danger.)

What do you think? Would you give this a try even if you didn't care for guac?

*"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." - Brian Gerald O'Driscoll

Friday night is Pizza night

bbq chicken pizza, adapted from here

Friday night is homemade pizza night around here. Last night I tried a bbq pizza for the first time and it was nom-alicious.

That's all I've got for now, happy weekending!!